Fighting Spirit AU
by Sapphiregirl
Summary: An alternate take on Fighting Spirit. When Tommy doesn't come out of his coma after three days, Hayley calls a few of his old friends. TommyxKim JasonxKat, TommyxHayley
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers...if I did, we'd have season box sets already.

Relationships: T/Kim, J/Kat, T/Hayley

Spoilers: DT

AN: I had an odd "what-if?" idea after watching "Fighting Spirit" back in September of 2004 and it mutated. I'm finally getting around to cleaning up the rough draft and this is the result.

Special thanks go to Princess Kimberly for beta-reading this for me.

* * *

**Fighting Spirit AU**

_Paris, France, September 2004_

Kimberly Hart, former Pink Ranger and Pan Global medalist, closed the door to her Parisian apartment and dropped her purse and other paraphernalia on the floor in the hall. Then she gratefully kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the couch in the living room. She loved the extra height high heels afforded her, but her feet ached horribly at the end of the day.

She'd spent all day running around the office making the last-minutes decisions on which sketches to put out for the rest of the fall collection and which to save for the winter and her brain was fried. She loved being a part of the Paris fashion world, but it was hard work all the same. She was contemplating taking a little nap before going out to meet her mother and stepfather for dinner when the phone jangled.

Heaving a weary sigh, she grabbed it. "Bonjour?" She tucked a lock of caramel-streaked brown hair behind her ear, fully prepared to tell whoever it was on the end of the line to call back later.

"Kimberly?" a male voice on the other end asked.

Her mood lifted instantly. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Jason!" she squealed excitedly. "How are you?"

The former red ranger chuckled shortly at her enthusiasm. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"Tired," she admitted frankly. "I've been running around like a chicken with my head chopped off all day. How's Kat?"

"She's fine." Jason's voice trailed off, and there was an uncomfortable silence.

Kim frowned and rolled over on the couch to lie on her stomach. Her eyes focused on the pictures scattered on her end table without really seeing them. "Jase, I can tell something's bugging you. What's wrong?"

He hesitated a moment, then said softly, "I don't know how to tell you this, Kim."

"Tell me what?" She was confused. "Is Kat expecting?" _You sound awfully grim for a father-to-be if she is._

"I wish." He laughed abruptly "It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"It's Tommy," he said reluctantly. "He's in a coma right now."

Brown eyes wide with shock, she shot up to a sitting position. "What?" she exclaimed sharply. "He's in a coma? Since when?"

"As of three days ago."

Kim processed that, then demanded anxiously, "What happened?"

Any other time, Jason Scott might have taken pleasure in the fact that she was still so concerned about her ex-boyfriend, but now it was merely another set of problems they didn't need. He bypassed her question with one of his own. "Can you be on the next flight to the U.S.?"

She wasn't deterred. "Jason—"

He cut her off. "Kim, I can't tell you what happened over the phone, and you know I wouldn't ask if it weren't important. I know you two have unresolved issues, but he's in a coma, for Pete's sake. The doctors don't have a clue as to when he's gonna wake up." Jason ran a hand through his short, dark hair and said tiredly, "Anyone who can make it is supposed to come to Reefside. Can you come?"

She thought for a moment, and almost without realizing it, words flew out of her mouth. "I'll be there. But I better get an explanation."

"You'll get it," he promised.

Kim brushed her bangs out of her eyes—she'd never bothered to grow them out and they were due for a trim. "You do realize that even if I get a flight leaving in the next two hours, it's going to be at least 16 hours before I get there, don't you? And that's not even counting waiting time and however long it takes to get through security."

He nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Just let me know which flight to California you'll be on, and I'll be there to pick you up. I'll explain everything."

"Ok. Tell Kat I say hi, will ya?"

"Sure thing, Kim." Jason started to hang up, then said abruptly, "Oh, wait a minute. Have you got my cell phone number?"

She racked her brain. "I don't think so."

"Let me give it to you." He rattled off a string of numbers and she jotted them down.

"Got it."

"See ya, Kim."

"Catch ya on the flip side," she tossed off absently before hanging up.

"Bye." Jason replaced the phone in the receiver and stuffed his calling card back into his pocket. Then he sat for a moment, staring at nothing. It'd been three years since he'd last seen her, but Kim didn't sound like she'd changed very much.

Jason's eyes slid shut for a moment, remembering the circumstances surrounding her last visit. Losing Trini had been hard on all of them, but especially for Kim and himself. They'd known her the longest, and after everything they'd been through, a car accident was one of the last things they ever thought would separate them. Kim had flown in for the funeral from France, but she hadn't stuck around long enough to really chat with anyone. Jason didn't blame her, not really.

Kat, his beautiful blonde wife, came in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel. "Is she coming?" She'd also been a pink ranger, once upon a time, but those days were over for everyone except Tommy.

"Yeah." Jason rubbed a hand over his face, feeling his five o'clock shadow. "She said hi."

Her blue eyes were sympathetic. "How'd she take it?" She knew Tommy and Kimberly at least still had friendly concern for each other, despite everything that had happened between them.

He stood and headed for the bathroom to clean up, saying over his shoulder, "Better than she would have a few years ago, but she was pretty upset. Let me shave and we'll head over to Reefside." He wished Hayley had called them earlier. She'd waited three days to see if Tommy would wake up on his own, and when he didn't, she called in the cavalry. Although, aside from providing emotional support, he had no clue what they were supposed to do.

"Ok." Kat's voice was soft, and she shook her head slowly, causing her blond ponytail to sway back and forth. She thought about Tommy lying there in the hospital and it just seemed so incongruous. _He isn't the hospital type at all._

As she finished cleaning up the kitchen, Kat reflected on the events of the past eight years. She regretted breaking Tommy's heart, but things just hadn't worked out for them. They'd tried, they really had, but eventually they both had to face the facts. Her burgeoning career as a dancer was taking her a different direction than his racing. Granted, the whole racing thing hadn't lasted—he'd moved on to paleontology—but they'd never found a way to get back into each other's orbits.

Instead, she'd found herself in Jason's orbit.

She'd been in love with Tommy for a time, and she was pretty sure he had loved her too in his way. However, their romance paled in comparison to what she shared with Jason now. Still, she couldn't help but feel what a huge chunk of their lives would be missing if Tommy didn't pull through.

Kat shook her head, banishing doubt from her mind. He would pull through. He had to.

* * *

Well, hope y'all enjoyed. Next chapter is in the cleanup process. Cheers! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers...if I did, we'd have season box sets already. 

Relationships: T/Kim, J/Kat, T/Hayley

Spoilers: DT

AN: This is another chapter that took me a while to decide if I liked it or not. Fortunately, in the process of doing that, I've also finished the next chapter and the epilogue, so they'll be up in a few days.

Special thanks go to Princess Kimberly for beta-reading this for me.

* * *

_**Fighting Spirit AU**_

_**Chapter 2**_

After hitting the 'end' button, Kimberly stared at the phone in her hand. _Tommy's in a coma?_ The thought made her sick to her stomach. She still didn't know why or how. Her mind started running through a dozen different scenarios, none of them good. _He's a high school science teacher, for crying out loud. What can he possibly have gotten himself into now?_

Shaking her head, she took a deep, steadying breath. _I will not cry. It's not like he's dead._ Then she called the airline to purchase the necessary tickets to take her to California. After that, she called her mother to let her know that she wouldn't be able to make it for dinner. Mrs. Hart wanted to know when her flight was, and upon learning it didn't leave until 8 p.m., insisted that Kim eat with them. So she packed, joined them for a quiet supper, and headed off to the airport.

She tried to sleep on the long flight over, but couldn't. Without pausing or stopping, her mind kept replaying every moment she'd ever shared with Tommy, from the moment she'd first seen him, to the last time she'd seen him, which had been at Trini's funeral. _You're being silly, _she scolded herself. But she couldn't shake her worry, and it hit her, not for the first time, that maybe she was still in love with him. Or perhaps, a small part of her mind reflected, perhaps it was more a matter of her being in love with her memories of him. That, she decided wearily, was definitely a scary thought.

When the plane finally touched down at the Angel Grove airport, Kimberly was almost exhausted. She wanted off the plane, and she wanted to curl up somewhere and sleep. But Tommy was foremost in her thoughts—she couldn't pass out until she'd found out what had happened and how he was.

After making it through the nightmare that was security, she made her way to the ladies' room. Inside, she stared at her pale face, looking at the rings under her eyes and way her brown hair frizzed up bizarrely, and frowned. _I look terrible. I can't walk in there looking like this._

She fixed her makeup and did the best she could with her hair. She straightened her pale pink blouse and grey slacks—even all these years later pink was still her favorite color, though she didn't wear it as often—and headed out to pick up her luggage. Then she made a beeline for the exit, shouldering her way through the early morning throng as she looked for Jason.

"Kimberly!" Jason waved an arm in the air. He was dressed casually in blue jeans and a black button up shirt and she felt a small smile break out on her face. Good old Jase. He didn't look very different, aside from having filled out a little bit.

He enfolded her in a hug. "It's good to see you, Kim." Her brown eyes questioned him mutely, and he slowly shook his head. "There's been no change." The dark-haired man reached for her designer bag and she let him take it.

They walked out to his car in silence, and once they were in and he'd started the engine, Jason knew he was in for it. Kimberly turned to him, her voice steady, but he could hear the underlying tremor she was trying so hard to hide. "What happened?"

* * *

When Jason had finished the story, Kim sat in stunned silence. Glancing over at her occasionally throughout the next five minutes, the dark-haired man wondered how long it would take for her to start talking again. He didn't have to wait long.

Words tumbled out of her in an unceasing stream. "Do you mean to tell me that Tommy—of all people—actually managed to _create_ a team of _Power Rangers_?" Her voice rose with each syllable. _I don't believe it._

Jason winced. "Kim--"

She continued, "And he's a Ranger again on top of everything?" Her brown eyes were wide and almost glazed. "When was he going to clue the rest of us in?" She shook her head abruptly and stared straight ahead, missing the guilty look on her friend's face. "You know, I would have expected something like this from Billy—if anyone could make a new team it would've been him—but Tommy! How in the heck did he manage to pull that off? I never would have seen it coming"

"Hayley said it had something to do with dinosaur DNA, and you know he's got a doctorate in paleontology," Jason said evenly. He knew she'd been speaking more to herself than anything else, but despite the situation, he couldn't resist commenting, "Didn't know he had it in him, huh? This is what? Fourth color, fifth power?"

"Yeah," she grumbled. "Maybe we ought to get him a multicolored suit and call him the Technicolor Ranger. That'd cover everything."

Jason laughed loudly. "We should call him the Rainbow Ranger. I really think he'd go for that one."

Kim burst into giggles, imagining the look she knew would be on Tommy's face if he ever heard that. Laughing dispelled some of the fear and worry they were both carrying, and the two of them drove the rest of the way chatting and chuckling like the old friends they were.

As they drove into Reefside, the former pink ranger asked casually, "Who's Hayley?" Jason hid a grin, and told her, watching the expressions flitting across her face. "I see," she said coolly. Her brow furrowed. "She wasn't at Trini's funeral, was she?"

"No." Jason's eyes twinkled. That wasn't a faint touch of jealousy he heard, was it?

"Hmm."

* * *

Kimberly had been feeling pretty comfortable, but as they pulled into the hospital's parking lot, nervous butterflies started doing loop-the-loops in her stomach and her hands felt clammy. When she climbed out, her knees wobbled like jelly and almost gave out on her.

It was early morning, but the sun was already beating down hot and steady. She took a deep breath and straightened her blouse self-consciously, feeling the sun's comforting rays sink into her back. Then she squared her shoulders. _You can do this._

"Your stuff'll be safe here." Jason locked the car and came around to her, putting an arm around her shoulders in a brotherly fashion. "Don't worry."

"Ok." Her eyes were glued to the wide double doors leading into the hospital. Jason shepherded her inside to the austere white room where Tommy lay unconscious. A small group of people got up to welcome them.

"Kimberly," Kat greeted her warmly, giving her a hug. Her Australian accent was still alive and kicking, even after all these years of living in the US.

The brown-haired woman returned it and was then greeted by Tanya, Rocky, Adam, T.J. and Cassie, and Zack, who had flown in from New York. Aisha, who had been the yellow ranger after Trini, was currently in Africa and couldn't be reached.

Kim then turned to face the only other person in the room, an auburn-haired woman who was eying her coolly. She held a hand out. "You must be Hayley. I've heard a lot about you."

"Kimberly. I've heard a lot about you too." Hayley shook her hand firmly.

Mentally, Kimberly raised an eyebrow—that didn't sound good. But she didn't feel like thinking it out at the moment. Her eyes drifted past Hayley, inexorably drawn to Tommy's still figure. A lump formed in her throat as she took in his silent form stretched out on the narrow hospital bed. The only indications he was still alive were the faint rise and fall of his chest, coupled with the steady beating of the machine to which he was connected by various tubes and wires. A moment later, she realized they were all looking at her. "What?"

"Do you want to see him alone?" Kat's voice was gentle.

Kim froze for the space of three seconds. Part of her wanted to get back to France as fast as she could, while the other part needed desperately to…well, she didn't know exactly. She wanted to know if she could wake him up—she wanted to give him the explanations he should have gotten years ago. Trini's death, and now this had shaken her and made her realize that time slipped away much faster than she'd ever imagined. She nodded slowly, biting her lower lip anxiously before moving towards the bed at a snail's pace.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hayley fidgeting uncomfortably. Judging from the worry the other woman was emitting, though she tried to mask it, Kim could tell Hayley cared for Tommy a great deal. It didn't really surprise her. Tommy was such a nice guy, such a decent, caring man; it was no wonder half the female population of Angel Grove High School fell for him at one point or another back in the day. The thing of it was, she still wondered at least once a day why she ever let him go. She hadn't met a man yet to match him, and heaven knew she'd tried.

Jason shepherded the others out and Kat closed the door quietly. Kim forced her trembling legs to propel her to his side. Her hands groped blindly for the chair beside the bed and she sank into it, her eyes still glued to the motionless man beside her. She reached for his hand and was faintly surprised to find it clenched, as if he were holding something. She settled for placing her hand atop his.

She closed her eyes, then opened them and focused on his tanned, sleeping face. She missed the long hair, but his face had stayed the same, merely picking up a few lines here and there. "Tommy," she started quietly, her voice hushed. "I am truly, deeply, sorry for the pain I caused you. I never meant to hurt you like that, really I didn't. And this—this…" she hesitated, then admitted with a burst of confidence, "this was hard for me. I haven't seen you in three years, had a decent conversation with you in ten, and now you're—" Kim trailed off. Suddenly, the thought of what the world would be like without Thomas Oliver rammed itself home in her mind. She sank to her knees beside the bed, ignoring the pain of the cold white floor tiles pressing uncomfortably against her kneecaps.

"Tommy," she pleaded, "you have to wake up. You're a Ranger again—your team needs you. The world needs you. Hayley needs you. Please wake up." She blinked away tears. _I want to tell you that I need you too—that I never really fell out of love with you, but I don't deserve you. Not anymore._

After a few moments of nothing but his steady breathing and the beeping of the machines, Kim rose stiffly to her feet. She took a deep breath and leaned over him. There was only one other thing she could think of to possibly wake him up. Very gently, she placed a kiss on his lips. Then she pulled back and waited expectantly.

Nothing happened.

Kim winced. She'd been foolish to think their luck would hold out longer. Now she felt like a criminal for having kissed him when she knew he wouldn't want to have anything to do with her. She stood up and backed away a little.

"I just wish—," she whispered softly, "I wish that things had been different for us. You were the most wonderful guy a girl could ask for, and I'm sorry I ever let you go. But you've moved past me, and I'm thankful for that. You deserve more." She reached out and haltingly brushed her fingers over his cheek. "Maybe someday, I'll tell you what really happened—why I left you. I can't do it now. I want to, and I came here intending to, but I can't." With that, she unsteadily walked over to the door and quickly wiped her tears away. She didn't look back as she stepped out.

* * *

Jason glanced up as Kimberly came out of Tommy's hospital room into the hall where they were waiting. He studied her face quickly. There were tearstains, but she appeared to be all right. He watched a faint smile tug at the corner of her mouth as Hayley hurried past her to return to Tommy's side.

The former red ranger shrugged mentally. In some ways, he knew Kimberly better than any of the others--they'd been friends for longer—but sometimes he still couldn't figure her out. And now, more than ever, he wished he knew what was going through her mind at the moment.

He patted her shoulder comfortingly as they filed back into the room. "Ya glad ya came?"

"Yes." Kim brushed a lock of caramel hair out of her face and blew a breath out before plopping down in a chair next to Adam. "So, how's your life going?"

* * *

Aside from the fact that she was now caught up on all the particulars of her friends' lives, it had been a rather uninteresting day. She'd never realized how tiring and boring waiting for someone to wake up from a coma could be. The constant level of tension in the room kept her from going to sleep, even though she was beyond tired. Every time she closed her eyes, she was afraid she'd miss him waking up.

Kimberly was relieved by the sudden appearance of four teenagers, who, judging from both their expressions and choice of colors in clothing, must have been Tommy's new team. The only girl, dressed in yellow, which sharply reminded Kim of Trini, though they looked nothing alike, demanded anxiously, "How is he?"

The dark-skinned boy in blue chimed in, "Is Dr. O awake?"

Jason slipped back into leader-mode. "No, he's not awake yet. Must still be getting his beauty sleep. Conner, Kira, Ethan, Trent, I'd like you to meet—"

"I know who you are!" Ethan interrupted. "Kimberly Hart! Cool!" He walked over to her and stuck his hand out. "I'm Ethan."

She was quickly introduced to the rest of them, but her attention lingered on Trent for a little bit. She recognized the look on his face—it was the one Tommy had worn when he thought no one was looking back when he'd been the green ranger. She made a mental note to ask Jason abut it later. He hadn't said much about the other Rangers, merely that they were students at the local high school. She listened to their banter with a fond smile on her face; it reminded her so much of 'the good ole' days', as she jokingly referred to them in her mind.

The four current Rangers gathered around their teacher's bed. Dr. Walsh, the hospital's leading expert on comas, came in just then, a clipboard in his hand. Everyone looked at him hopefully, but he merely shook his head slowly. "Still no change."

The television, which had been going softly in the background, suddenly started making a lot of noise. The group looked at it and watched in alarm as a special report showed a huge monster attacking part of the city. Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Trent all dashed out—off to save the world, no doubt.

The former rangers settled down again, and reminisced in low voices. Seeing the new team brought back so many memories for all of them. Kimberly complained that there wasn't a pink ranger, and Kat seconded her. The others just laughed.

About two hours later, the teens were back, and they didn't look happy. As they cautiously explained to Hayley what had happened, the other adults winced sympathetically. They'd all experienced a power loss at some point or another, and it wasn't a pleasant memory.

The new team hung around for a while longer, but they had to leave when another special report stated that the monster was back. Kimberly didn't know what they were going to do, but she knew they'd think of something. After all, they were Power Rangers. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. _I could so sleep for a week,_ she thought tiredly.

A few minutes later, Hayley let out a delighted cry. Tommy's eyes had fluttered open. Kimberly's head snapped up in time to catch the warm, happy looks that were exchanged between Tommy and Hayley, before everyone was out of their chairs and crowding around. A chorus of cheers and 'Thank God's went up.

The black ranger stared at them in surprise. "Guys…" His voice was warm and just a little bit choked.

Kim hung back towards the edge of the happy group. Joyful tears filled her eyes—she was thrilled beyond words that he was alive, awake, and well—but she was suddenly very much unsure of herself. Her heart began to pound wildly. _Don't be stupid,_ she scolded herself. _You're not a teenager anymore, you're a grown woman._

As he glanced around at the group gathered around him, Tommy's eyes rested on her briefly before sliding away. But in that instant, Kim saw shock and then a flash of cold pain that cut her to the marrow. Stung, she pressed herself as far out of sight as she could, which was easy, considering how short she was. _I don't belong here._

As her friends began to talk excitedly in quiet whispers, they didn't notice her slight form sneak out of the room.

* * *

Please review--it's encouraging and it'll motivate me to post the rest sooner. :smiles:


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers...if I did, we'd have season box sets already.

Relationships: T/Kim, J/Kat, T/Hayley

Spoilers: DT

AN: Well, here we go. Chapter 3. Thank y'all very, very much for all the reviews--they're very encouraging and motivated me to get this out faster.

As an aside, Evanescence's "Hello" was the major musical inspiration for this chapter.

Enjoy.

Special thanks go to Princess Kimberly for beta-reading this for me.

* * *

_**Fighting Spirit AU**_

_**Chapter 3**_

Throughout the course of his battles with his former selves, Tommy had been alone. These had been hidden aspects of his personality, inner demons and fears that he'd had to face. But now, as the Red Zeo Ranger, the White Ranger, and the Green Ranger held out the pieces of his Dino gem, it was if a dam had broken somewhere. In that instant, he heard the voices of his friends—voices telling him that he was not alone, that he had been a leader they'd been proud to serve under. He heard the voices of every ranger he had ever served with, and one voice that his mind instinctively picked out of the others…Kimberly.

As he reached for the broken pieces of his gem, he heard Trini's voice last of all, quietly echoing in his mind. _It's not your time yet to go, Tommy. There are still challenges ahead for you to face. Your team needs you now._

His fingers closed around the gem and immediately it melded itself back together. His mind returned from whatever plane of existence it had been on, and his eyes opened. He found himself looking up into Hayley's concerned face and smiled a little as he revealed his complete gem to her.

The dark-haired teacher was suddenly aware that they were not alone in this…hospital room? Obviously relieved friends, some of whom he hadn't seen in _years _were coming at him from every angle and chorus of "Finally!"s and "Thank God,"s went up. There was Jason, a wide grin on his face, Kat and Tanya both with tears in their eyes, Adam and Rocky both grinning from ear to ear, and….his eyes widened fractionally as time suddenly stopped….the last person he would have expected to see…..Kimberly.

There she was, squeezed in between Jason and Tanya, looking both uncomfortable and relieved. He met her eyes and saw a mixture of regret, happiness, and uncertainty in her brown orbs before he tore his gaze away, feeling both overwhelmed and strangely at a disadvantage. Old pain flared up but he shoved it back. She had actually come all the way from France to be here at his bedside. The least he could do was be grateful.

He didn't have time to think about it any more because his friends were laughing, chattering, and asking him a million questions. The next time he looked for her, surreptitiously glancing around half-hoping to met her gaze again or hear her voice, Kim was gone. Tommy managed to hold back his sigh of disappointment, but he couldn't hide the glum look that flashed across his face. How could she still have this effect on him after all these years?

Kat caught his look and glanced around herself to discover that a certain brunette was conspicuously absent. "Jase," she said quietly, leaning over to her husband, "Where did Kim go?"

Jason looked down at his wife in confusion, the smile disappearing from his face. He too looked around. "Maybe she just stepped out for a moment."

"I hope so." The blonde former ranger did not have a good feeling about Kim's disappearance.

"Me too," Jason murmured heavily. _Kim, what are you doing?_

* * *

Dr. Walsh had been pleasantly surprised when he found Tommy awake and sitting up the next time he came in to check on him. Hayley apologized for not sending someone to spread the word and the doctor nodded in understanding. 

They'd all thought Tommy could be released immediately, but a half-hour later, the black ranger was still arguing with the doctor over whether or not he needed to stay for more tests. Tommy insisted that he was fine, and they'd had four days to run whatever tests they wanted. He'd mentally shuddered to think about that, but…. He knew the rangers needed him. Hayley had filled him in on what had happened while he was out, and he knew he was the only one who could help them.

"We need to keep you under observation for at least 24 hours," Dr. Walsh argued. "The preliminary CAT scans didn't show any cancerous formations but—"

Tommy cut him off. "With all due respect, Dr. Walsh, I'd like to go home now. Frankly, I can't afford any more hospital bills—I'm a high school science teacher. We don't get paid much. And I highly doubt that my insurance will cover all of this." He motioned to the room and its complicated machinery. "Anyway, I don't think I've got cancer or anything like that."

Jason, who up to this point had merely been listening quietly, spoke up. "What if we agreed to watch him for a few days, Dr. Walsh, and make sure he doesn't do anything that might cause a relapse? We're friends of his—came to visit. He'll have a hard time getting rid of us."

The doctor considered this for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "Very well. I'll have the paperwork sent in an hour or so."

"Doc," Tommy said, trying to reign in his temper and irritation. "I have something very important that I need to take care of. I would greatly appreciate it if you could get me out of here as quickly as possible."

Dr. Walsh raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, you're hardly off to save the world."

"It's very, very important," he pressed. _If only he knew._

The doctor shrugged. "I'll have a nurse bring it in."

It took 15 minutes for the paperwork to arrive, and another 20 for him to fill it all out correctly. The others would have offered to help, but he declined, chafing at the delay. Finally, he emerged from the bathroom fully dressed—and a free man.

They all walked out of the hospital together, as quickly as they could without attracting attention. Jason had inquired at the desk earlier and learned that Kim had left the building. Frowning, he decided she could stay wherever she was for the moment. When she decided she wanted to rejoin the human race…a.k.a…them...he figured she'd call. In the meantime, Tommy needed to get back to action.

"Bro," he said jokingly as they peeled out of the parking lot. "You really need to get Hayley to create a teleportation system."

Tommy laughed shortly. "Believe me, she's working on it."

* * *

Kimberly slipped out amidst the chaos; the others would have stopped her, but they were all so happy that it was a few minutes before they thought to check on her. She grabbed her purse and strode quickly down the hall. She didn't have keys to Jason's car, so she walked out of the hospital and towards the downtown area. It didn't take long. 

She was trying to hold back tears—that strange emptiness in Tommy's eyes twisted her insides, plunging a dagger of guilt into her heart again. They hadn't talked at Trini's funeral—they hadn't even spoken, really. They hadn't spoken at Jason and Kat's wedding, either. To be quite honest, they hadn't really spoken since before the whole Maligore mess. She felt like crawling into her shoes. _I never should have_ _come_, she raged to herself. _He hates me. This was such a bad idea._

Her arms were folded tightly about her body as she slowly walked down the sidewalk. She wasn't aware of anything around her; she passed people by without seeing them, stepping around obstacles without recognizing what they were.

She was shaken out of her reverie by screams and loud crashes, and a strange shaking beneath her feet that was oddly familiar. Kimberly looked up and her brown eyes went wide as a huge 30 story monster came crashing through the downtown area leaving havoc in its wake. Rubble hit the streets as he carelessly knocked into buildings.

Shocked, she watched as it smashed into the building above her and took out a huge chunk. In that split-second, Kim's eyes went, almost of their own accord, to the sidewalk in front of her where the debris would impact. It was clear, except for an elderly lady who'd just walked out of the building and was completely aware of the grisly death she was about to meet.

"Look out!"

Calling on every ounce of energy and training she possessed, Kim sprinted forward and knocked the lady out of the way of the deluge of rocks and glass. The lady went sprawling some distance ahead, but Kim wasn't able to clear the mess herself. One rock, about the size of a man's fist, slammed into her back, throwing her to the sidewalk, where she was half-buried by more heavy chunks of rock mixed with razor sharp splinters of glass. One minute she was up, the next she was pinned on the ground coughing and struggling to breathe.

After the first blinding explosion of pain, it receded into a dull throbbing that seemed to be more and more distant, as if her mind were separating from her body, and Kim groggily realized that she couldn't feel anything below her waist. She figured one arm was broken, and she didn't know what had happened to the other, only that she could see it stretched out before her and she couldn't move or feel it. The rocks on top of her body were heavy, and they had hit her hard. She couldn't breathe—her chest felt like it had been smashed flat.

She had to struggle and fight for every shallow breath of air, and panic set in for a moment. She gulped air frantically until the pain in her chest caused her to slow down and realize that she would live longer if she stayed calm and took it easy. Every breath felt like someone had stabbed her and raked the knife down her chest.

The lady she'd saved slowly got to her feet, severely shaken. She'd been angry at first, but as she realized she had almost been killed, she became hysterical. "I'll get help!" she cried. "I'll get help!" She tottered off, screaming at the top of her lungs, leaving Kim lying on the sidewalk alone.

A persistent beeping caught her attention. The brunette blinked something— maybe dust, probably blood—out of her eyes and squinted. It sounded a lot like her cell phone. As her vision adjusted, she saw that her purse had somehow avoided the avalanche of debris. Her cell phone had bounced out and lay in front of her on the sidewalk covered with bits of glass. It was ringing to beat the band. She struggled desperately to move her arm, trying to reach it, all to no avail. After a moment, it stopped.

Her head dropped a little and blackness began to creep around the edges of her vision. It would be so easy just to go to sleep and wake up when it was all over. Mentally, she shook herself. _Kim_, she told herself sternly, _you've got to stay focused. You've got to stay awake. You were a Power Ranger, for crying out loud. You can make it._

Dimly she was aware of sirens in the distance. A little while later, only a few minutes, really, but it seemed like an eternity, she saw a figure in blue hurry towards her, followed by the lady she'd saved. She couldn't lift her head, so she concentrated on his boots. She didn't recognize the brand, though it looked vaguely like….her mind wandered off into the recesses of her fashion knowledge.

The man shouted, "I found her!" then he knelt in front of her and checked her pulse. It was weak and thready. "Ma'am? Can you hear me? We're going to get you out. It's going to be all right." He phoned for backup and lifted some of the smaller rocks off her as quickly as he could. He'd need help to remove the bigger ones.

Kim managed to move her lips, but no sound came out. He noticed. "Don't try to talk, ma'am. Save your strength."

She tried anyway. "..my…phone…." Her voice was very faint. "Call…Jason. Please…." She stopped, heaving for breath. "….call…Jas…on…" Jason would know what to do, she reasoned. Jason always knew what to do.

"Ma'am, take it easy—we're gonna get you out." Several more paramedics ran up to them and they lifted the larger pieces of debris off of her small body. As the pressure on her chest was released, Kim felt dizzy—there was a sudden flash of pain and black spots swam before her eyes. She knew she was going to pass out.

As they gently, delicately lifted her onto a stretcher after applying a neck brace and everything else they could think of, Kim's brown eyes focused on the paramedic who'd found her. He was still holding her purse after searching it for her driver's license. "Please…" she whispered through dry lips, "…call...Jason.."

The medic looked at her, saw that her lips were turning a faint sheen of blue, saw the life leaving her eyes, and it did something to his insides. She didn't look good, and barring a miracle, he didn't think there was much they could do to help her. There was simply too much damage to her body. He could honor a dying woman's last request, couldn't he?

He reached into the purse and pulled out the cell phone, which he'd previously picked up and stuck back in there. He looked at the directory. Jason Scott was the first name listed. He started to punch in the number, but at that moment, Kimberly began to cough up blood.

A few minutes later, despite their best efforts, they slowly pulled the sheet up over her head. They'd done all they could do. She'd been too far gone. Death had come quickly—she'd had a hemorrhage and had slipped into unconsciousness almost immediately. The lady she'd saved burst into loud tears.

With a strange lump in his throat, the medic flipped her cell phone open again and dialed the number.

* * *

Jason stood in Tommy's kitchen fiddling with his phone. He was hoping Kim would check her messages and call him back, because she certainly wasn't answering. He hoped she hadn't decided to take the next flight back to France. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly thought he saw her, and the phone nearly dropped from his fingers. He stared in shock. Kimberly _was_ standing there, but not the Kim he'd seen that morning. This Kimberly looked exactly as she had in high school—brown hair pulled up in a bouncy ponytail, blue jean shorts, a pink tank top, and a sunny, heart stopping smile on her face. She looked both younger and happier than she had that morning, and she gave him a little wave.

The phone in his hand rang just then, and he looked down at it absently. When he looked back up, Kimberly was gone. Running a hand through his hair in confusion, he left the kitchen and headed for the living room, expecting to see her exiting the house. She wasn't there. "Hey, guys," he called out, "Did Kim just come through here?"

"She's not here, Jase." Rocky replied. "Haven't seen her since the hospital."

Puzzled, the former red ranger finally remembered he was holding a ringing phone. Quickly, he answered it. "Hello?"

There was a pause on the other end and then a man's voice said slowly, "Um… my name is Bryson Clyde. I'm trying to reach Jason Scott."

"You've found him. What can I do for you?" Jason walked through Tommy's living room to the front door. He half-expected to see Kim pulling out of the driveway, but that was absurd, since she didn't have a car.

"Kimberly Hart asked me call you, Mr. Scott. She was—"

Jason's voice was sharp. "Kim? Where is she?"

The other man hesitated for a moment, then said bluntly, "She was involved in an accident in downtown Reefside."

The suspicion drained out of the dark-haired man's voice. "Is she ok?"

The conversation caught the other former rangers' attention, and they looked over at Jason with worry in their faces. Kat got up from the couch and moved to stand at her husband's elbow.

Bryson decided to tell Jason the good news first. "Ms. Hart saved a lady's life, sir. Part of the Slater building was damaged by the monster and Ms. Hart pushed a lady to safety. Unfortunately," he gulped—giving people bad news about their friends and loved ones was the least favorite part of his job—"she was caught by the debris."

Jason's face went deathly pale and his brown eyes blazed intensely. When he spoke, his voice was very, very quiet. "Is she ok?" he repeated. In his heart, he knew the answer. _Oh, Kim._

There was another pause, and then Bryson said apologetically, "We did everything we could, but….she didn't make it."

Jason felt a lump rising in his throat and he bowed his head. When he could finally speak, he asked hoarsely, "When did it happen?"

Standing beside the ambulance, the medic looked over at Kimberly's blanket-covered body. "As far as we can determine, she was hurt less than a half-hour ago. We got to her as soon as we could, and we got her out, but it was too late. She…passed on a few minutes ago."

Jason nodded slowly—part of his mind realized that that was the same time he'd seen what must have been her ghost. "I appreciate you calling." He was dimly aware that Kat now had her arm around him, while Rocky and Adam had come up beside him.

"Ms. Hart begged me to use her phone and contact you." He hesitated briefly then confessed, "I couldn't refuse her. I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Jason closed his eyes, racking his stunned brain for anything else to ask this guy. "Where are they sending her?"

"Reefside Hospital."

He almost laughed at the irony of it all. Reefside Hospital. "We're in Reefside right now. We'll be over as soon as we can. Thank you."

"Will you notify her next-of-kin?"

"Yes." He ended the conversation and started to return his phone to its place on his belt, but he missed and it clattered to the hardwood floor. He didn't bother to pick it up.

Kat helped him sit down before they asked him anything. She'd only seen that look on his face once before—when Trini died. Something was horribly, terribly wrong.

"Jase," Adam asked, scanning his friend's face, "What happened? Is Kim all right?"

Jason looked over at him slowly, and his mental dam broke. "No, she's not ok," he said thickly, hot tears welling up in his eyes. He wasn't the type who cried, but he couldn't help it. Kim was his oldest friend, after Trini, and now they were both gone.

* * *

Tommy smiled in grim satisfaction as the monster exploded. One more of Mesogog's creations down for the count. He flashed a thumbs up to his students, and waited for them to join him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, and he spun around. _More of Mesogog's minions?_ he wondered. Behind his helmet, his brown eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. "Kimberly?" he gasped out. 

She was standing some distance away, a look of mingled sadness and regret on her face. Then her eyes met his and her lips curved in a smile. She waved at him, and he felt an overwhelming sense of farewell.

The Black Ranger blinked, convinced he was seeing things. Even if Kim had managed to track them down, there was no way she could have reversed the effect of time on her body and gone back to looking like the sweet sixteen year-old he'd fallen in love with in high school. When he opened his eyes again, the spot where she'd been standing was empty. He glanced around, but there was no one there. _I'm seeing things,_ he decided. _Get a hold of yourself, Oliver. You can't fall apart just because she's back._

He was unusually quiet on the trip back to their headquarters, merely saying that he'd tell them everything when they got back, so that Hayley could hear it too. He wasn't sure if she had shown Jason and the others his basement yet, but if she had, that was fine. He'd tell everyone. If not, then he'd delay the inevitable and tell his team first to give himself some time to calm down.

Hayley had a strange look on her face when they came in, but she stayed quiet until after the teens had finished asking him all their questions. Then they headed upstairs so Tommy could greet his guests.

Everyone had a somber look on their face and the women looked like they'd been crying. Conner took one look and asked half-jokingly, "What happened? Did somebody die?"

There was dead silence, before Kat and Tanya both broke down in fresh tears, though they were obviously trying to hold it back. The guys looked grim.

Kira smacked Conner on the back of the head.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

Tommy scanned the room, noting that Kim was the only person not there. _That doesn't mean anything,_ he told himself. "Guys," he asked quickly, "What's going on? What's happened?"

Everyone turned to look at Jason, who, whether he wanted it or not, was being regarded as the leader. Taking a deep breath, the former red ranger rose to his feet and took several steps forward. His eyes were filled with tears, and a look of inestimable grief was on his face. "Bro," he said thickly, "I don't know how to tell you this."

Tommy stood rooted to the spot. It wasn't possible…it couldn't be. "Jase—"

Jason cut him off. "It's Kim. She's gone." He couldn't bring himself to say the word "dead".

* * *

:ducks flying vegetables: Yes, yes, I killed Kim. I didn't intend to kill her off when I started writing this story, but it just sort of ended up that way. There wasn't much I could do about it. 

If you need a happy fix--read"PhoneCall." It won't end the way this one did.

Stay tuned for the epilogue. :ducks more vegetables:


	4. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers...if I did, we'd have season box sets already. 

Relationships: T/Kim, J/Kat, T/Hayley

Spoilers: DT

AN: Well, here it is. The epilogue. A bit later than promised--I was going to post this Tuesday, but I had computer trouble. Not fun.

Anyway, thank you all so much for the reviews and encouragement. They really helped. :smiles:

For those of you who were devastated that I killed Kim off...don't lose hope yet. Your reviews inspired me and I may very well have a credible idea for a sequel.

Special thanks go to Princess Kimberly for beta-reading this for me.

Enjoy!

**_

* * *

_**

**_Fighting Spirit AU_**

_**Epilogue**_

"Cleanup operations after this latest monster attack are going well." The anchor for the local news station shuffled the papers that lay before her. "Four people were killed this morning during the attack, including former Pan Global gold medalist Kimberly Hart. The former gymnast, who was from Angel Grove and won the gold medal in gymnastics in 1995, died in Reefside General Hospital late this morning after being hit by debris from a building damaged by the monster. According to bystanders, Ms. Hart pushed an elderly woman to safety when part of a downtown building collapsed but was caught by the debris. No official press release has yet been given by the family. Sources close to her say Ms. Hart was in Reefside visiting friends."

Tommy flicked the TV off and stared up at the ceiling. He still couldn't believe it. Kimberly was gone. Tears welled in his eyes, but he made no move to wipe them away. She deserved that at least.

He knew the others had wondered how he could be so calm at the news Kimberly had been killed. They wondered why he didn't immediately seem upset by the death of someone he'd once cared for so deeply. The truth was it did hurt. The hole she'd left in his heart would be permanently empty. And now that the shock was wearing off, he was mourning the loss of an old friend.

But it wasn't as painful as the others apparently thought it was. After all, he'd had years to recover and move on. Years to slowly leave the memories of her behind. A small corner of his mind had always known that some of his friends—Jason in particular—had always hoped the two of them would get back together, but it hadn't been meant to be.

So now, he mourned Kim as he'd known her. That one, fleeting glimpse of her from his hospital bed hadn't been enough to imprint itself over all the memories he had of her as she'd been at sixteen. She'd been his first love and he would always remember her, but the truth, as awful as it sounded, was that Tommy wasn't in love with her anymore. Hadn't been in love with her for years. He'd moved on with his life, though he had to admit that the first couple years had been hard—very hard.

On one hand, his heart had screamed to know the Reason, and on the other, he didn't want to jeopardize his relationship with Kat. With one thing after another, Kimberly had pretty much avoided talking to him, and now it was too late. Unless she'd included an explanation in her will, she'd taken the Reason to the grave.

The grave.

The very thought sent chills down his spine. Tommy ran a weary hand over his face, feeling traces of stubble, and closed his eyes. Maybe this was all a bad dream. Maybe he was just imagining things and he'd wake up tomorrow to find it had all been a horrible nightmare. _Just like Trini._

Tommy's dark eyes snapped open. No. This wasn't a dream. Just like Trini…Kim was simply gone.

_Gone._

That was when the pain hit him.

Dry sobs racked his body as the Black Ranger finally allowed himself to grieve. He allowed himself to mourn the passing of someone who had once been very dear to him. Through the hazy mist that he would later come to remember as the early hours of the next morning, one thought surfaced to the top of all the other storming emotions and thoughts in his mind.

An illusion of invulnerability had shattered when Trini was killed in that car crash a few years before. Her death had touched all of them and destroyed the faith they'd had that they would always make it. A tenuous healing had taken place in all her former teammates since then, but he could already see that losing Kim had created fractures in that fragile rebuilding of faith.

Tommy's hands clenched into fists as he stared out the window at the streaks of pink on the eastern horizon. He might not love or need her anymore, and he might have moved on, but he'd never, ever, wished Kimberly anything but the best. The world would be an emptier place without her.

For causing Kim's death and all the other atrocities he had committed, Mesogog would pay. There was no doubt about it. He would pay.

Tommy would personally make sure of it.

* * *

Well, I hope y'all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Once again, thank you very much for reviewing.

And, like I said, I have an idea for a sequel, if anybody is interested.

Catch ya on the flip side!


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